Observations on the Mussulmauns of India eBook

It is not surprising that the strongly grounded persuasion
should be too deeply rooted to give way to my feeble
efforts; time, but more especially the mercy of Divine
goodness extended to them, will dissolve the delusion
they are as yet fast bound by, as it has in more enlightened
countries, where superstition once controlled both
the ignorant and the scholar, in nearly as great a
degree as it is evident it does at this day the people
of India generally. Here the enlightened and the
unenlightened are so strongly persuaded of the influence
of supernatural evil agency, that if any one is afflicted
with fits, it is affirmed by the lookers on, of whatever
degree, that the sick person is possessed by an unclean
spirit.

If any one is taken suddenly ill, and the doctor cannot
discover the complaint, the opinion is that some evil
spirit has visited the patient, and the holy men of
the city are then applied to, who by prayer may draw
down relief for the beloved and suffering object.
Hence arises the number of applications to the holy
men for a written prayer, called taawise ( talisman)
which the people of that faith declare will not only
preserve the wearer from the attacks of unclean spirits,
genii, &c., but these prayers will oblige such spirits
to quit the afflicted immediately on their being placed
on the person. The children are armed from their
birth with talismans; and if any one should have the
temerity to laugh at the practice, he would be judged
by these superstitious people as worse than a heathen.

[1] Kanhaiya, a name of the demigod Krishna, whom
Kansa, the wicked King
of Mathura, tried to destroy.
For the miracle-play of the
destruction of Kansa by Krishna
and his brother Balarama, see Prof.
W. Ridgeway, The Origin
of Tragedy, 140, 157, 190. The author seems
to refer to the Ramlila festival.

[2] For cases of witches sucking out the vitals of
their victims, see
W. Crooke, Popular Religion
and Folklore of N. India, ii. 268 ff.

[3] Mazdurni, a day labourer.

[4] On the efficacy of shaving or plucking out hair
from a witch in order
to make her incapable of bewitching
people, see W. Crooke, Popular
Religion and Folklore of N.
India[2], ii. 250 f.

[5] Mantra.

[6] Ta’wiz, see p. 214.

LETTER XXVII

Memoir of the life of Meer Hadjee Shah.—­His descent.—­Anecdote of a
youthful exploit.—­His predilection for the army.—­Leaves his home to
join the army of a neighbouring Rajah.—­Adventures on the way.—­Is
favourably received and fostered by the Rajah.—­His first pilgrimage
to Mecca.—­Occurrences during his stay in Arabia.—­Description of a
tiger-hunt.—­Detail of events during his subsequent pilgrimages.—­The
plague.—­Seizure by pirates.—­Sketch of the life of Fatima, an
Arabian lady.—­Relieved from slavery by Meer Hadjee Shah.—­He marries
her.—­Observations on the piety of his life.—­Concluding
remarks...Page 400